Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 03/04/2019 05:00 PM PST

Updates from Senator Tim Knopp.

Week 6 Recap: Feb. 25 - Mar. 1

It was an event and snow filled week 6 of the legislative session. Catch up on the highlights of last week here:

Affordable College Loans

On Monday I testified in support of HB 2588, which would require groups and people that service student loans in Oregon to maintain a license. This will protect students from predatory lending practices as well as help to better inform students as they apply for student loans. As of 2018, there is $1.5 trillion of student loan debt in the United States. These loans slow the ability for people to purchase vehicles, homes, save for retirement, or start a family. This bill is an important step we can take to empower students to make more informed decisions on their financial futures.

Expanding Tax Credits for Working Families

Senator Sara Gelser and I have been working on an incredibly important bill that we had the chance to testify on today. SB 758 would expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, which would be a huge help to 8,095 working households in my district and over 900,000 people statewide. I know how hard it can be for working families to get by, so I'm proud to support legislation that would get more of their hard earned money back to them. You can watch my testimony on this bill by clicking the image to the right.

Opposition to Small Business Health Insurance Tax

Protecting small businesses is and has always been a priority of mine in the legislature. That's why I opposed the Senate's passage of HB 2010 this week. This bill extends and increases the health insurance premiums tax from 1.5% to 2%.

This tax will make it even harder for small businesses to stay afloat or be able to offer health insurance plans to their employees. For those reasons, I voted against this bill that the majority party decided to push through.

Supporting School Safety

Last week I testified in support of SB 584, which would direct the Oregon Department of Education to establish and maintain the Statewide School Safety and Prevention System to better identify and respond to threats to student safety - including bullying, harassment, physical violence, and suicide.

Having proven processes in place is an important step of being able to identify and respond to school emergencies. This legislation will help make up for what our state is currently lacking in prevention and response planning and will make our children safer.You can watch my testimony by clicking the link to the left.

Oregon School Nurses Association

Wendy Niskanen, the President of the Oregon School Nurses Association, swung by my office last week. It was great to learn more about the important role school nurses play and what we can do in the legislature to help them. Thank you, Wendy, for all that you do to keep our kids healthy!

"What Shall We Give In Return For So Much?"

On Tuesday at around 9:00 PM Secretary of State Dennis Richardson sadly passed away. Sec. Richardson and I served together in Oregon’s House of Representatives; and his integrity, insight, and character were apparent immediately.

As the Secretary of State, Richardson fought for voter integrity and important audits that brought issues with with Oregon’s foster care program to light. It is a hard time for all Oregonians, but our state is better off because of his dedicated service. Richardson also served his country as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, leading by example as a true patriot does. My prayers are with his family and friends. His favorite Latin phrase was: Pro Tanto Quid Retribuamus, now passes to us. It means "What shall we give in return for so much?"

National Alliance on Mental Illness

Despite the weather and road conditions, Roger Olsen from the National Alliance on Mental Illness made it over from Bend to inform myself and the Senate Health Care Committee on his organization’s work and goals for the future.

Thank you, Roger, for your visit last week and I look forward to getting to meet with other members from NAMI to discuss mental health reform once the weather permits it.

Oregon Mountain Bikers Coalition

It was great to meet with constituents from the Oregon Mountain Biking Coalition last week. We discussed policies that would protect and expand Central Oregon's vast opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Testimony on Athletic Training Legislation

On Wednesday I heard testimony during the Senate Health Care committee on SB 742, a bill that directs Health Licensing Office to issue licenses to engage in practice of athletic training to qualified applicants. These trainers serve a critical role in supporting our community, particularly with supporting our student-athletes. We need to empower and create more opportunities for these health care professionals, not fewer.

Cap & Trade Hearing in Bend

We had a unique opportunity this weekend to host the "Cap & Trade Roadshow" in Bend. It's not common for a piece of legislation to get it's own statewide tour, but HB 2020 has potential for such a large impact that we must make sure we hear public testimony from all parties involved before votes are taken.

Thank you to all who braved the weather to come share their insight on this legislation and to my colleagues for making it to Central Oregon to participate in the forum.

Prohibiting Public Hush Money

SB 478 would prohibit public and campaign money from being used for non-disclosure agreements relating to workplace harassment. Citizens shouldn’t have to worry about their tax dollars or political contributions being used as hush money for public officials’ misconduct. Thank you to Senator Sara Gelser for your leadership on this issue and making this a bipartisan effort.

Results of Governor's Food Drive

A couple of weeks ago I let you all know how excited I was to participate in the Governor's annual food drive. This year's results are even more impressive than usual, thanks in part to several businesses in Central Oregon who contributed generously towards a basket that was raffled off to raise funds. I greatly appreciate the charity from these businesses; The Bend Store, El Rancho Grande, Bend Burger Company, The Moose Sisters, and Pine Tavern.

Congrats to the Governor and all who participated in these incredible achievements:

The Senate provided 64,725 meals, with over 62,353lbs of potatoes delivered!